Cosmetic Surgery: Does It Help or Hurt You?

Raleigh Patterson
Professor Perkins
Rhet/Comp 1302
6 May 2013
Cosmetic Surgery: Does it help or hurt you?Everyone has seen that picture perfect model on a billboard or in a magazine that seems to be flawless in every way. These types of things convince people that they need to alter their appearance in order to become what is perceived as beautiful. There are approaches to attaining the designated look they are trying to reach; cosmetic surgery is one of them. Cosmetic surgery continues to become a popular trend among young adults in today’s society, but is starting to take over the idea of what people consider “beautiful.”

People are willing to do just about anything if it will change the way they feel about themselves. Cosmetic surgery is a very popular option for people who might not be happy with their appearance. It can be helpful in some cases, but it is often taken too far and can put a patient at risk for a variety of health issues. Kathryn Morgan asks her readers to “look at the needles and at the knives,” and “imagine them cutting into your skin”(Morgan). This vision of surgery can be terrifying and is not something most patients would be looking forward to. Also, there are always danger when undergoing a surgery that requires a doctor to cut a patient open. Whether it is liposuction, a breast augmentation, a facelift, or a nose job, there are risks that come along with these types of procedures. Young people in today’s society are becoming more and more aware of new technologies in today’s cosmetic surgery department. Constantly, there are new types of technology being made specifically for cosmetic surgery. Morgan explains how “the era of biotechnology is clearly upon us and is invading even the most private and formerly sequestered domains of human life,”(Morgan). Ever since all of this new technology has been discovered, young adults are using it to alter their bodies to fit their needs. These changes on someone’s body is not only an outer difference, it can also alter the way people think.

Identity is what makes a person unique, but sometimes this can be lost in the media of society. Many people tend to think that a simple face-lift or nose job changes their outer appearance, however, they overlook the relationship they have with their unique human characteristics. Dr. Vivian Diller, a psychologist and author, told BuzzFeed that after a major cosmetic surgery patients realize that “imperfection is actually part of their identity,”(Diller). When someone alters their body to fit their needs and their perception of what they should look like, they are taking away what defines them as a person. Cosmetic surgery is becoming so much more common that people do not think as much about getting these types of body altering surgeries. The scary part is that without even realizing, they are the ones potentially changing who they are as a person for the rest of their life. Diller explains how patients “can feel disconnected to their new faces- faces that no longer feel like theirs,”(Diller). This is shocking because even though it is still the face on their bodies, it does not even feel like their own face. As soon as they wake up off that surgery table, they are waking up to their new bodies, their brand new bodies that they have not gotten used to. It is almost as if they have to start all over, not in a literal sense, but in a logical sense. Their old bodies have been taken from them by their own will. Now they have chosen to completely destroy whatever made them unique to try and fit in with what society qualifies as “beautiful”. Not only is the natural beauty destroyed, it takes tons of money out of patient’s wallets.

Cosmetic surgery is not a very easy to pay for, especially when it becomes a more recurring activity. What patients do not realize is that they are paying for a lot more than just the cosmetic surgery itself. For example, in the article The Cost of Surgery: Why is Surgery so Expensive,...

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